COUNTRY FOOTBALL.

Lyttelton Times, Volume CXXIII, Issue 15922, 7 May 1912, Page 6

COUNTRY FOOTBALL.

The discussion regarding the decadenco of country football that has been carried on in our columns for some days has revealed an unsatisfactory condition of affairs, which should be remedied as speedily as possible. We do not know whother the committee of the Canterbury Rugby Union has considered the subject since it decided ten days ago that country players ought to be permitted to join town clubs, but if it has not evolved a moro hopeful scheme for the roinvigoration of tho country clubs in North Canterbury it might study with profit the suggestions made yesterday by one of our correspondents. His plan is to limit the inter-club competitions conducted by tho city and the five country unions to one round of matches, and to substitute for tho customary second rounds a series of "home and home" matches between tho city clubs and the country representatives. The idea is practical and simple. At present far too great importance is attached to success in the inter-club competitions, and the spirit that actuates the clubs would be intensified if the city players were permitted to compete for tho services of prominent country footballers, while the inclusion of a few representatives of Ellesmere, or North Canterbury, or Banks Peninsula in the city teams would do harm to tho game in those districts. The country players havo struggled hard against adverse conditions for pome years, and the officers of the Canterbury Union have gone to great pains to assist them, but tho game has deteriorated because the young men who have been devoting their energies to football in the country districts have lacked opportunities. Most of them aspire to reach the top of the tree and gain places in the provincial fifteen, and when they realise that their expectations are vain—probably through no fault of their own—they become discouraged. Tho plan conceived by our correspondent would give them their opportunity, and tho result of its adoption would be tho development of Rugby football in the country and the strengthening of the gamo in tho whole province. The only possible objection to the 6chemo is that the revenue of the Canterbury Union would bo diminished, but this probably would be merely a temporary difficulty. It would be reasonable to anticipate such a growth of interest in the game that in a season or two the town and country matches would take a place among the most popular of the annual contests.